New Bathrooms

Too Much Lady Stuff

Karen

Know what’s funny?

Kevin and I have been married almost 22 years (actually, that’s not funny, that’s UNUSUAL), and we’ve never shared a bathroom.

I know, right??

I mean, we shared a bathroom when we lived in our apartment (this was before we were married *GASP*), and then we moved into a rental house six months after Dude was born. The rental house had two bathrooms – he used one and I used one.

Then we moved into this house, which has two bathrooms; he used one and I used one.

Now that our bathrooms have been remodeled/reconfigured, we both use the master bath and the boys use the guest bathroom. (This is indeed a Freudian message to the boys – you are merely GUESTS in our home. We love you and want you to stay as long as you need to in order to save for your future, but you WILL move out one day, like it or not).

Kevin is having a hard time putting up with my “lady stuff,” mainly because he’s never had to share my lady space before now.

I freely admit, I have a lot of lady stuff, but come on ladies, it takes a small truck load of stuff to make ourselves beautiful/presentable every day, am I right?

Okay fine. It takes ME a small truck load of stuff to make myself beautiful/presentable. Ha!

We’re DONE with the bathroom remodel – sort of. There are still a few tweaks “we” have to work on. For example, there is a spot on the ceiling in the front bathroom that needs touching up. Kevin had to install a door on the back bathroom, (it had one of those accordion-style doors before, which, by the way, we’ve put out by our garage, along with Dude’s old (i.e. childish) head board with big huge FREE signs attached. I wonder if anyone took it yet?) The door is installed, but Kevin needs to finish the trim. After that, I will paint the door. And “we” still need to paint our old bathroom cabinet and put it back into our bathroom (which is a short-term solution until we can find a better-quality cabinet that won’t cost an arm and a leg. Seriously. Have you priced cabinets lately? Holy cow …)

BUT, for the most part, they’re done.

And I will kill my husband if he talks me into any more “big” projects in the next ten years.

Here is a before shot of our front bathroom:

Bathroom - Before

And a before shot of our back bathroom:

Back Bathroom - Before

We basically flipped the configuration around installing a shower stall in the front bathroom and knocking/building a wall so that the bathtub is now in the back bathroom. My very clever husband planned it out on one of those handy-dandy architecture software programs; our bathroom contractor was very impressed with his plans. (Or so he said, anyway).

I had a BLAST putting the bathrooms back together again. These mosiac globes in the front bathroom are one of my favorite things we added …

Mosaic Globes

And Kevin found this cool medicine cabinet that we hung over the toilet in the front bathroom …

Over Toilet Cabinet

These used to be in our front bathroom, now they’re in the back bathroom …

Bathroom Wall Decor

(Note what the pictures say – we both FIRMLY believe in these sayings).

And now, nearly six weeks later, I present our (almost)finished bathrooms:

The front bathroom …

Bathroom 3-4-12

(I had to have that shower curtain hemmed – it was about seven inches too long. In fact, the seamstress said that a lot of people have actually brought in shower curtains to hem).

The back bathroom …

Bathroom - 3-4-12

I pretty much love them now. Why the people who built this house didn’t think to configure the bathrooms like this to begin with is beyond us, but whatever, they’re pretty awesome now. They were expensive, and though Kevin and I argue this point, I think we might have overpaid for what we got, but still, I don’t regret it one minute.

We have done so much to this house … it’s ALMOST where it want it to be.

And that’s a good thing since we plan on living here the rest of our lives.

(PS. I just went outside to see if the headboard and the door were still there – they are. Come on people, FREE STUFF!)

Abundant Life

Teaching: Salvation is Permanent for Christians in this Administration of God’s Grace (Eph. 3:2 & 9) – Part Three

Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

Thanks for watching.

(Comments have been turned off. The information is here to inform and bless you. God granted you the gift of free will – take it or leave it).

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More from Write From Karen

Politics

Being Conservative Sucks

Karen

Being told the truth sucks.

Having facts presented to you in a rational, no-nonsense fashion sucks.

Being responsible sucks.

Having to work for a living sucks.

Paying off your debts sucks.

Buying only what you can pay for sucks.

REALITY SUCKS.

Wah.

It’s time for our country to grow the hell up, don’t you think?

Work Stuff

It’s Like I’m On Speed, Only Not

Karen

I’ve been up since 4:50 this morning. I had to get up to make sure Jazz was up – he’s on his way to Pittsburgh Kansas today for a Jazz fest. He asked Kevin and I if we were planning on coming to watch him. Sadly, no. But I didn’t realize just HOW much he had wanted us there until I saw his disappointment.

And that disappointed me.

Sometimes I wonder if my going back to work, right now, was such a great idea. Even though Jazz is a junior in high school, I’m no longer there to taxi him around to places; Dude has been our family taxi lately. He picks Jazz up from school every day, he takes him to get his hair cut, he takes him to the orthodontist … I’m feeling a little guilty that I’m not as flexible as I used to be. I hope Jazz doesn’t feel shorted somehow since I was fully available all throughout Dude’s high school years.

I will make a point of going to EVERY SINGLE band competition and concert next year. It will be his last year to participate in that stuff and I want to savor every last moment. And now that I know that it matters to Jazz if we’re there, I’ll move heaven and earth to make it happen.

I often wonder just how my working is affecting my entire family. They’ve been spoiled, I’VE been spoiled. I’ve always been there. I’ve always been able to drop what I’m doing and take care of them at a moment’s notice.

Now? I’m lucky if I have time to answer their phone calls.

I’m not having second thoughts, per se, I always knew I would go back to work someday. I’m one of those weird people who LIKE to work. It FEELS GOOD to use my brain again and quite honestly, I was bored out of my freaking mind staying home all day. And I felt guilty for not financially contributing to the family. And I’m not really contributing all that much now because I get paid so little. But we have affordable insurance now and I’m at least buying the groceries every month, so there’s that. But still … I wonder if I should have waited until Jazz got out of high school.

I’m just so UNATTAINABLE now and it makes me feel guilty.

This past week has probably been the busiest and most crazy week since I started back in September (I’ve been there nearly SIX MONTHS, PEOPLE!! How did that happen?!?) And that’s saying a lot because I’ve had some doozy weeks so far. I’m really getting tired of not having any energy left over at the end of the day. All I want to do is crawl into bed and watch TV episodes on NetFlix and that’s exactly what I do, every night.

I feel like life is passing me by and though it went by fast before the job, it’s just a blur now and I’m not sure I like that.

I’ve got a long weekend coming up in a few weeks. The entire family is riding Amtrak up to Chicago and spending a few days. I’m REALLY looking forward to that. Not only because of the train trip and a new city, but because I REALLY NEED A LONG WEEKEND. I’m going to try and take more Fridays off. It’s our slow day and even if I have to take it unpaid, it’ll be worth it just to have that extra day to breathe, re-group and have the energy my family deserves.

When I look back on my younger days, back in the days when I had two small boys, worked evenings AND went to school during the day when the boys were at school, I just shake my head. Though I’m half as busy now compared to those days, I feel like I’m busier.

And the stress. This job is high stress. I have a lot of responsibility and the sheer volume of patients I help is mind boggling. This is also the sort of job that if I drop the ball, it affects A LOT of people and could potentially waste the doctor’s time. There is a lot of finger pointing and I’m having to constantly cover my ass, or CYA as the girls drilled into me the first month I started working there. It’s completely exhausting having to constantly think two steps ahead and into tomorrow. And did I mention the stress is taking a physical toll on my body?

And yet. It’s fun. It’s challenging and when things go right, it’s a high. It’s like I’m on speed, only not.

It’s 6:50 a.m. It’s time to get cleaned up and do it all over again.

Thank God it’s Friday.

No. Seriously.

I can only produce so much adrenaline in a week and I’m pretty sure I’ve reached my limit.

Friday Fun

Friday Craft: Fleece Hat

Karen

How freaking cute is this?!

Fleece Hat

This soft and cozy cap is just the gift to give for fighting brisk winter weather.

Materials

Tape measure
1/2 yard fleece fabric
Scissors
Needle and thread
Buttons, appliqués, or felt pieces for decoration
1 yard decorative cord

Instructions

First, determine the size of the hat. (To avoid ruining the surprise, measure the head of someone who is similar in size to the recipient.) Now cut a piece of fleece that´s 16 inches wide and as long as the measurement you took plus 2 inches.

Fold the fleece in half, right side in so the 16-inch edges match up. Sew a 1/2-inch-wide seam along this edge, stopping 5 inches from the bottom. Just below the last stitch, make a 1/2-inch cut in from the side. Turn the material right side out. Now sew a seam along the last 5 inches of unsewn fleece.

Roll the bottom of the hat up two turns, so the cuff conceals the bottom part of the seam. To keep the cuff from unrolling, sew on a decorative button, an appliqué, or a felt cutout.

Finally, gather the top 3 inches of the hat and tie a colorful cord around it.

Abundant Life

Audio Teaching: Giving and Tithing

Karen

by John Schoenheit
The Christian world is very confused about giving and tithing. Many Christians believe that God commands them to tithe, and some believe that if a person does not tithe he will be cursed by God. This causes guilt, shame, and even fear among Christians who do not tithe. In this teaching, John Schoenheit opens the Word of God and shows that, while each person should give generously, Christians are not commanded to tithe. The Word of God shows that the tithe was instituted by God as a part of the Mosaic Law, so that the Levites and Priests, who could not own land, would be provided for.

Before the Law God did not command a tithe, and the command to tithe ended when the Church started, just like the Temple, sacrifices, and priestly system ended. However, the Word of God says that Christians should give their very lives as living sacrifices and that certainly includes giving; giving time, material goods, and money. Although some people’s situation may be such that they cannot give ten percent to the work of God, many people can and should give more than that. This teaching not only covers giving and tithing, but also provides biblical information about what to give and where Christians should give.

Click the arrow to listen.

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Can We Talk?

Question …

Karen

Today’s question is …

Recall when you first started using the Internet regularly.

It was in the early 90’s … we had a Zenith computer. It was during the weird green text on a black screen era. I used Prodigy to get online and I discovered chat rooms very early in my cyber career.

In fact, I spent an INSANE amount of time in chat rooms and became so addicted to chatting that I ignored by two young sons AND my husband.

Which strangely coincides with the time period I started having marital problems.

I’m sure the two were NOT related …

Your turn …